The big rumors this year for Apple have mainly focused on two new iPhones that are a sure-fire lock to be announced at the Apple Worldwide Developers’ Conference. However, it seems that the popular technology company might have something big up its sleeve that was originally thought to be a modest new device, but now is potentially a huge new product for tech lovers.
The big rumor coming from Wall Street and tech media outlets is that Apple is developing a tablet notebook slated for release in 2010 that will have a seven to 10 inch multi-touch screen and a price tag around $700. The rumor originates from AppleInsider.com and takes information from a Wall Street analyst’s report. As recently as April 2009, Apple’s COO Tim Cook slammed the idea of an Apple “netbook” as a cramped low-margin piece of junk best left to the muck-sellers at Microsoft.
The rumor circles back to a Chinese report that a touch display manufacturer admitted working with Apple on a new, yet unannounced product. There are conflicting reports that suggest that vendors of the components necessary for such a device are currently in talks with Apple, fueling the fire even more. From several analysts’ perspective, the “iTouch iTablet iThing” would end up retailing in the neighborhood of $700, making it distinctive against the iPod Touch, which retails for as much as $399, as well as the lowest end MacBook, which currently sells for $999.
Speculation that this new device would run Mac OS X 10.6, otherwise known as Snow Leopard, is actually quite limited, as many feel that a new hybrid OS specific to the tablet device would have to be developed in order for the unit to function to client expectations. It seems that the iPhone OS might be more appropriate for the touch screen environment, requiring multi-resolution support for the larger system. Unquestionably, Apple’s existing infrastructure through its web-based Apple Store can fully support the facilitation of software for the tablet device.
Unfortunately, for people who enjoy news coming from a credible source, many of the sites publishing these rumors have cited “a source familiar with Apple’s inner workings” or “a reliable source that has a decent track record with reliable rumors.” These credible sources, along with the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot, haven’t stepped forward to identify themselves or what the real source of their information is to the industry.
With so few actual credible sources beyond Gene Munster, a Wall Street analyst from Piper Jaffray who merely speculated in his reports, there’s really nothing but hope that a tablet touch computer could come from Apple. The possibilities of this type of system, with full internet capabilities, have to come as a godsend to people of all computing types like college students, the traveling workforce, and, of course, online poker players.
Comments are closed.